


Presidents and Pets

by wholesomeobsessive



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Birthday Presents, Fluff, M/M, Pets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-13
Updated: 2015-09-13
Packaged: 2018-04-20 14:23:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4790558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wholesomeobsessive/pseuds/wholesomeobsessive
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve is having trouble finding Sam a birthday present, and goes to Peggy for advice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Presidents and Pets

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ndelphinus](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=ndelphinus).



Steve Rogers was so preoccupied on his way to Peggy Carter’s room that he didn’t hear Maria Hill’s voice until he was halfway down the corridor. Remembering Natasha’s recent training he made his footsteps softer, and slowed his breathing. He simply planned to ask how long they would be, but it would be nice if they didn’t see him coming.  
“Steve. We know you’re there,” came a voice from inside, before he’d gone five feet.  
He sighed and poked his head around the door. “I thought I was getting better at that.”  
“You are,” said Maria. “I’m just that good.”  
“I didn’t want to interrupt.”  
Peggy was sitting up in her bed with a chart on her lap. Maria was on one of the chairs next to her, and had just stopped taking notes.  
“Don’t worry,” said Peggy. “We’re almost done, for now.” She folded up the map and handed it to Maria. “A small matter, I was just happy I could help.”  
“More than a small matter,” Maria said, getting up. “Thank you again, Agent Carter. See you later, Steve.”  
She nodded at him as she passed, and Peggy beckoned for him to take the chair.  
“Come now,” Peggy said. “What’s troubling you?”  
“Nothing’s troubling you.”  
“Steve, you look all nervous.”  
“I’m not nervous, I’m just…have you ever had trouble buying someone a birthday present?”  
“Sometimes.” She smiled a little sadly. “But Angie was always easy that way, so much theatre memorabilia, all those old records and posters.”  
“I don’t know what to get Sam. I’ve been looking out for something for months, ever since my own birthday, but I haven’t exactly been going to the shops very often.”  
“You’ve been training; everyone’s been working very hard.”  
That was where Sam was at the moment, practicing formations with the rest of the Avengers. Natasha’s eyes had lit up when she realised all the new recruits could fly in various ways, and was determined to take advantage of this. In the past Sam and Steve had already mastered several moves of their own, mostly practicing catching Steve when he was falling from a great height, but doing it with the others had turned out to be more of a trust exercise. Steve trusted Wanda in a general way, that wasn’t the problem. He just couldn’t get his head around people who flew using magic rather than technology.  
“I know,” he said, “but I want it to be something special, not something practical. We’ve had enough of that sort of thing the last month.”  
“Your boyfriend is very good at interior design.”  
During his past few visits he’d shown her photos of their new apartment. It was only a fifteen-minute walk from the Avengers base (faster if you were running), with blue walls, lots of natural light, two spare rooms, and absolutely no spy equipment. They’d checked. Twice.  
“He has an eye for colour,” Steve said proudly. “I just do the heavy lifting. Peggy…I do have an idea, but it’s maybe too impractical. And he gave me the perfect gift for my own birthday.”  
He still didn’t understand how he’d lived in the modern world for three years before someone introduced him to The West Wing.  
“Are there any shows he likes?”  
“None he doesn’t already own, or have on Netflix. Did you…did you and Angie ever adopt a pet?”  
“A cat.” There was that smile again. “Grey, long-haired. Angie called him Smokey.”  
“Do you think a pet is too big a commitment? We’ve only just moved in together, I don’t want to scare him or anything. Things are going so well.”  
“Steve.” Her tone was more fond than impatient. “I think given your history together a puppy or a kitten is unlikely to scare him off.”  
He had to smile at that. “But our lives are unpredictable, we might not always be here to walk a dog.”  
“You live next to the Avengers base. There’ll always be someone here to take care of that sort of thing.”  
“Do you think people would mind?”  
“If you ask me, this place could do with a bit more softness, and cuteness. Something to balance out all the weapons training.”

  
“I can’t choose.”  
“It looks like you’ve chosen.”  
The black cat currently burrowing her face into Steve’s shoulder looked a little worse for wear, but certainly not lacking in affection.  
“I love her,” Steve said, stroking her back. “But what about all the others?”  
The shelter obviously took good care of the animals, but there were some that they said were unlikely to be adopted any time soon. Steve had asked to see them first.  
Bucky looked to the heavens, who sent no help.  
“They’re cute,” he allowed, watching an old tortoiseshell cat suspiciously.  
He was still too nervous to actually pet one himself, and Steve didn’t push him. Still, if Bucky had more time to become comfortable around them…  
“I love it when you can solve several problems at once,” Steve said, bending down to pat the head of a three-legged terrier.

  
“Okay,” Steve said, when he and Sam were on their way to the base a couple of days later. “I might have done something.”  
The two of them had spent their day off celebrating at home, first with breakfast in bed and then in other ways. Sam was slightly confused when Steve said they needed to go into work for a little bit before dinner that evening, but was willing to play along.  
“Is it going to involve lawyers?” he asked.  
“No.”  
“Is it against the law?”  
“No, I don’t think so.”  
“That’s something at least.”  
Sam didn’t actually sound worried, which was reassuring.  
“I had trouble choosing a birthday present,” said Steve. “So I thought I’d show you the selection, and then you can choose for yourself.”  
“Okay.” Sam watched Steve’s face for a hint, but the latter had been working on his poker face. “Where is this selection?”  
Steve took him to one of the rooms on the top floor of the base, formerly used by Tony as a lab. Fortunately this meant it was soundproofed.  
He opened the door, and Sam heard the gentle rustling and soft mews.  
“Steve,” Sam asked, slowly, “what did you do?”  
“There aren’t as many as it looks like,” Steve said, as the two of them entered the room. “I only took the ones that had been there for over a year. This one,” he went and picked up a very grumpy looking Yorkshire Terrier, “is Josh. And that one,” he pointed at a beagle, “is Seaborne. I thought it would be too confusing to have two Sam’s around the place.”  
He dared to look at Sam, hoping he hadn’t misjudged it all horribly. Sam spoke with affection of his childhood pets, but that didn’t necessarily mean he wanted to have one as an adult, or that he wanted to commit to sharing one with Steve.  
It turned out this wasn’t a problem. Sam was already kneeling down and cooing over several of the cats including, Steve was happy to see, the black cat he’d called CJ.  
“Are you sure we can’t adopt them all?” Sam asked.  
“I was thinking that any we don’t take home could be looked after by everyone else here.”  
“Good, I like that plan.” CJ was rubbing herself around Sam’s legs now, purring. “I think this one has to come with us. And what is the name of this guy?”  
A shy German Shepherd had come up to Sam and was tentatively letting his head be stroked.  
“That’s Leo,” Steve said, smiling.

  
In the end they took home CJ and Leo. The tabby cat called Jed quickly became attached to Wanda and followed her around everywhere (and luckily enjoyed flying). The ginger cat called Donna found Peggy’s room and set up camp there. Rhodey started training Toby, the Golden Retriever, to do tricks. The rest roamed around the former lab and common rooms, and had the effect on mood and morale that Peggy had predicted.  
After a couple of weeks even Bucky could be seen letting Donna rub up against his legs.  
“She was director for a reason,” Steve said, the blonde terrier Abby asleep on his lap. All the pets joined the Avengers for Natasha’s Russian classes.  
There was some teasing about the naming scheme, and Sam especially enjoyed it.  
“Look,” he said to their cat, pointed at the television where CJ was giving a press conference. “She has your name.”  
“What would you call a dozen animals after?” Steve asked, pretending to sulk. “Or would you just go for Fluffy and Rover?”  
“Well I’d start with the founding fathers…”  
Steve threw a pillow at him.


End file.
